Textile skin cleaning device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a skin cleaning device that consists of a textile structure and that has lipophobic fibers or lipophobically finished fibers. Due to the lipophobic fibers and/or lipophobically finished fibers contained in it the inventive skin cleaning device is especially adapted to the cleaning requirements of dry skin since the fat absorption capacity of the skin cleaning device is limited by to the fibers. As a result, less fat is removed from the skin during the cleaning process as compared to conventional textile cleaning devices.

[0001] The invention relates to a skin cleaning device, which is made of a textile structure that is especially adapted to the cleaning requirements of dry skin.

[0002] For cleansing dry skin, it is normal to use washing detergents and cleansing lotions that have re-greasing properties, so that the skin's own fats that are chemically and mechanically removed in the cleansing process are externally replaced. In addition to the high cost expenditure connected therewith and the environmental problems caused by the residual chemicals discharged into the waste water, such cleansing methods are frequently too aggressive for dry, sensitive skin. On the one hand, the chemicals contained in the cleansing detergents and washing lotions may trigger allergies in sensitive persons. On the other hand, the re-greasing substances contained in such detergents and lotions are frequently not suitable or not adequate for replacing the sebum of the skin extracted in the cleansing process. As a consequence thereof, the skin becomes even drier, as a rule, and use has to be increasingly made of additional chemicals for re-supplying the skin with fat in order to counteract any sensation of tension and the skin aging process. These additionally required chemicals (cremes and lotions, as a rule) in turn contribute to the contamination of the environment and again generate additional costs.

[0003] Furthermore, dispensing with the use of cleansing detergents is often not satisfactory because with cleansing methods that are based on conventional cleaning textiles and water, the mechanical stress of the skin and the loss of the skin's own sebum are excessive as well.

[0004] In view of the problems as outlined above arising in connection with the cleansing of dry skin, the problem of the invention is to provide a cleaning device for the skin that can be used in conjunction with water for cleansing dry skin without further exhausting the low sebum reserves of the skin.

[0005] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a skin cleaning device consisting of a textile structure that contains lipophobic fibers or lipophobically finished fibers. The use of a skin cleaning device as defined by the invention in combination with water permits the removal of water-soluble dirt particles, but carefully treats the sebum reservoir by its content of fat-repelling fibers.

[0006] The skin cleaning device as defined by the invention is preferably at least partly comprised of a pile structure because the micro-massaging effect caused by the pile fibers during the cleansing process has an advantageous effect in that it promotes the blood circulation. Furthermore, it is advantageous in this connection to equip the skin cleaning device as defined by the invention with micro-fibers because the latter offer a relatively large surface area, so that it is possible to achieve a good cleansing effect. For combining the good cleansing effect with the careful treatment of the skin's own sebum reserves, it is useful to use lipophobic micro-fibers or to lipophobically finish such fibers.

[0007] The skin cleaning device should have a mean fiber density of less than 150,000 fibers per cm², which has no excessive absorption capacity, on the one hand, yet assures a good cleansing effect on the other.

[0008] The skin cleansing device as defined by the invention permits the cleaning of dry skin while entirely omitting regreasing cleansing detergents or cleansing lotions. The skin's own sebum reserves are carefully treated in this connection to a large extent, so that the need for moisturizing cremes can be reduced as well. When less dry skin or the parts of the body that are loaded to a higher degree with secretions are cleansed, it is possible to use detergents for supporting the cleansing and deodorizing effects. The softness of the fibers and the lesser absorptive capacity for fat vis-a-vis conventional skin cleaning textiles, prevent in this connection any excessive chemical and mechanical stressing of said parts of the skin.

[0009] For the further careful treatment of the sebum content of the skin, it is advantageous if fibers for equipping the skin cleaning device are used that contain filaments with a titer of between 0.5 to 10 dtex, preferably between 1 to 5 dtex, and particularly preferably between 2.5 and 3.5 dtex, and/or micro-fibers that contain micro-filaments with a titer of between 0.02 up to under 1 dtex, preferably between 0.1 to 0.5 dtex, and particularly preferably of 0.3 dtex.

[0010] The use of micro-fibers with a twine fineness of 150 dtex or more, preferably between 400 to 1300 dtex is useful as well in order to achieve good cleansing while limiting, however, the absorption capacity of the skin cleaning device as defined by the invention for the sebum of the skin.

[0011] The same purpose is served by the embodiment of a skin cleaning device as defined by the invention that has a microfiber density of between 20,000 to 150,000 fibers per cm², and preferably of between 40,000 to 100,000 fibers, and particularly preferably of between 40,000 and 80,000 fibers per cm².

[0012] In order to nonetheless achieve a good cleansing effect, it is advantageous if microfilaments made of polypropylene (PP) and/or viscose and/or polyacrylo-nitrile (PAN) and/or polyester (PES) and/or polyamide (PA) are used for forming the microfibers.

[0013] The fibers or microfibers, which are finished in a fat-repellent manner, contain in this connection microfilaments that are preferably coated with fluorocarbon (FC) and/or teflon and/or polyfluorotetraethylene (PFTE) and/or silicone. Coatings of this type are used, for example for finishing fibers that are used for producing safety garments used, for example on drilling rigs. In order to obtain defined gradations of the absorptive capacity for fat, it is useful if the skin cleaning device as defined by the invention is provided with a mixture comprising microfibers that are finished for repelling fat, and microfibers that are not finished for repelling fat. A minimum of fat absorption capacity is assured in this way, which is required, for example in order to remove creme residues from the skin.

[0014] A crimped shape of the microfilaments is advantageous in view of the voluminosity of the pile fabric especially when the skin cleaning device is in a wet condition.

[0015] For purposes of good handling, it is recommended to realize the skin cleaning device in the form of a mitt, pad, cloth or washcloth. It may be advantageous in this connection if the fibers finished for repelling fat are applied only to limited areas, so that the user can individually control how low the removal of fat should be in the course of the cleansing process.

[0016] For differently graduating the cleansing and fat protection properties of the skin cleaning device, it may be useful as well if lipophobic fibers/lipophobically finished fibers are contained in the textile material with a varying quantitative ratio to non-lipophobic fibers/non-lipophobically finished fibers.

[0017] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the skin cleaning device has the form of a mitt or cloth that is equipped on one side with microfibers finished for repelling fat and having a density of between 40,000 to 80,000 fibers per cm², but having microfibers on the other side that are not finished for repelling fat. For the sake of superior distinction, these functionally different sides may be marked, for example by colors.

[0018] By combining the cleansing effect with the careful treatment of the inherent sebum reserves of the skin, the skin cleaning device as defined by the invention is excellently suited for methods for cleansing dry skin.

[0019] However, the properties of the skin, in particular of the skin of the face are constantly subjected to seasonally conditioned variations in the humidity of the air and temperature, or hormonal fluctuations. Furthermore, the various regions of the face frequently have a skin sebum content to varying high degrees. In order to take into account the requirements of the skin attendant to such variations, one embodiment of the skin cleaning device as defined by the invention may comprise at least one area for cleansing oily skin. With respect to fat absorption and mechanical abrasion, the area added to such an embodiment has properties that satisfy the requirements of oily, unclean skin. Preferably a flat textile structure is used for forming such an area, which, as compared to the skin cleaning device for dry skin, has a higher density of microfibers, which, like the microfilaments forming such microfibers, have a smaller diameter as compared to the skin cleaning device for dry skin. Furthermore, said area has no microfibers finished for repelling fat, but may contain brush fibers that are suitable for achieving a certain peeling effect. Such a skin cleaning device is therefore ideally adapted to the care requirements of basically dry skin, which, however, temporarily contains greasier zones especially in conjunction with hormonal fluctuations.

[0020] The invention is explained in greater detail in the following with the help of examples.

EXAMPLE 1

[0021] In the present example, the skin cleaning device is designed in the form of a washing mitt consisting of a pile structure. The one side of the washing mitt contains a microfiber trim with microfibers with a twist fineness of 1200 dtex that contains microfilaments with a titer of 0.8 dtex. The microfibers are present with a density of 60,000 fibers per cm². 50% of the microfibers contain microfilaments that are finished with a fluorocarbon coating for repelling fat. This side of the washing mitt is therefore particularly suited for carefully cleansing dry skin. The other side of the skin cleaning mitt consists of pile material as well; however, it has a microfiber fitting of 80,000 fibers per cm². The microfibers have a twine fineness of 1200 dtex and microfilaments with a titer of 0.5 dtex; however, they contain only 10% of the microfibers finished in a fat-repelling manner with a fluorocarbon coating. Owing to the higher density of microfibers and the lower proportion of microfibers with a fat-repelling finish, this side of the skin cleaning mitt is created for more thoroughly cleansing, for example of the problematic T-zone around the forehead, the nose and the chin.

EXAMPLE 2

[0022] In the present example, the skin cleaning device is realized in the form of a washcloth with two functionally different sides. The one side of the washcloth is fitted with a pile fabric with microfibers with a density of 60,000 fibers per cm², a twine fineness of 1200 dtex, and microfilaments with a titer of 0.8 dtex. The microfilaments of the microfibers consist of polyamide, whereby 50% of the microfibers contain microfilaments coated with fluorocarbon. The other side of the skin cleansing washcloth contains two zones that are marked by different color, whereby the one zone made of pile fabric has a microfilament density of 80,000 fibers per cm², a twine fineness of 1200 dtex, and microfilaments with a titer of 0.5 dtex. 10% of the microfibers of this area are finished in a fat-repelling manner. This area is therefore ideally adapted to the requirements of normal skin with minor dryness problems. The second area marked by color is suited for cleansing oily skin and consists of pile fabric with a high fat absorption capacity and is equipped with microfibers with a twine fineness of 800 dtex made of polyester filaments with a titer of 0.3 dtex, which are arranged with a density of 200,000 microfibers per cm². Furthermore, it comprises a trim of brush fibers that are distributed between the microfibers. Like the microfibers, these brush fibers are crimped as well, but project beyond the trim of microfibers because of their lesser degree of crimping. This skin cleansing washcloth is therefore particularly aimed at the requirements of predominantly dry skin that, however, comprises normal to oily zones as well. Furthermore, this embodiment is particularly well-suited for a washcloth for the different parts of the entire body because is satisfies the highly different cleansing requirements of such body parts with respect to fat absorption capacity. 

1. A skin cleaning device made of a textile structure, characterized in that it contains lipophobic and/or lipophobically finished fibers.
 2. The skin cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is at least partly realized in the form of a pile structure.
 3. The skin cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it contains microfibers.
 4. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in the that the lipophobic fibers or lipophobically finished fibers are at least partly realized in the form of microfibers.
 5. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 3 and 4, characterized in that it is at least partly equipped with a trim of microfibers with a density of 150,000 fibers or less per cm².
 6. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the microfibers have a twine fineness of 150 dtex or more, preferably between 400 to 1300 dtex.
 7. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the fibers contain filaments with a titer of between 0.5 to 10 dtex, preferably between 0.5 and 5 dtex, and particularly preferably between 0.5 and 3.5 dtex.
 8. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the microfibers contain microfilaments with a titer of between 0.02 to under 1 dtex, preferably between 0.1 to 0.5 dtex, and particularly preferably between 0.2 and 0.3 dtex.
 9. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the microfibers are present with a density of between 20,000 and 150,000 fibers per cm², preferably between 50,000 to 100,000 fibers per cm², and particularly preferably of 70,000 fibers per cm².
 10. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the microfibers contain microfilaments made of one or more of the following materials: polypropylene (PP), viscose, polyacrylo-nitrile (PAN), polyvinyl alcohol⁺ (PVA⁺), polyester (PES), polyamide (PA).
 11. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that the lipophobically finished microfibers contain microfilaments coated with fluorocarbon (FC) and/or teflon and/or polyfluorotetraethylene (PFTE) and/or silicone.
 12. The skin cleaning device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least partially a microfiber trim containing microfibers finished for repelling fat and microfibers not finished for repelling fat.
 13. The skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 3 to 12, characterized in that the microfilaments are crimped.
 14. The skin cleaning device made of a textile structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is realized in the form of a mitt, a pad, a cloth or a washcloth.
 15. The skin cleaning device according to claim 14, characterized in that it is provided in points, preferably on one side with fibers finished for repelling fat.
 16. The skin cleaning device according to claim 15, characterized in that it is realized in the form of a mitt or cloth equipped on one side with lipophobic microfibers with a density of between 50,000 and 80,000 fibers per cm², whereas the other side has no fibers finished for repelling fat.
 17. A method for cleansing dry skin, characterized in that a textile skin cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 is employed.
 18. The skin cleaning device made of a textile structure according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that it comprises at least one area for cleansing oily skin.
 19. A method for cleansing skin, characterized in that a skin cleaning device according to claim 18 is employed. 